Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-02-18
sTAUNToN VIRGINIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARYls, 1851

up lost time, Over the four-mile Straight
away stretch, Yves. oftbis st alton, the train
sped along at a rate Of forty miles an hour
and all on board bad settled down to a long
nap, wholly unconscious of the terrible
death awaiting. them a few rods ahead.
Suddenly the flying train dashed around a
curve and up a slight grade to the long
wooden-deck Howe bridge which crosses
the White River seventy feet above its
rushing waters. The river here passes
through deep, rocky gorge. the jagged
edges of the precipice on either side. with
its perpendicular sides, bordered with
stunted pines, making il wild. romantic
scene, At this point the Inflated train
suddenly ended its journey.
CRASHING THROUGH THE BRIDGE.
A broken rail 200 feet this side of the
bridge is all that isslefti0 tell the cause.
Whether the train broke the frosty rail,
throwing the cars from the track; whether
the rail was broken before the train arrlv-
ed, or whether some wheel gave way and
saapped che rail, is 1ot known and may
GeveN bs known. Suddenly there WAS
jar, humping Of trucks over tive lailsbad
ties the coupling between the forward
sleeper and the four following cars broke,
the engine, baggage and smoking cars
passed on to the bridge and over it IN
{ safety, but the other four cars bumped
along over the ties to the end Of the
bridge, knocked out the heavy tlmbers
which rested on the abutment, and then
/ toppled over-bridge, cars and human
frelght-fully eighty souls all told, failing
with tremendous crash down the Jagged
precpice. seventy feet, and striking upon
the frozen, snoW-Whitened turface of the
river.
Then followed a scene which beggars all
| power of human description. The splln-
tered wreck took fire, and the dark gorge,
from which the moon was hidden, was
SOON lighted up by the glare of burning
COACHES and bridge timbers The de-
tachtd portion of tie train was stopped
run back to the scene as soon as possible;
those on boaid sprang into the deep snow
and made their Way, as best they could
down the steep banks TO assist any in the
wreck who We're alive. Here and there
mah or woman had succeeded III getting x
treated from the debris by leaving part OF
their clothing behind, and In spite OF the
intense cold aud their half clothed cOndl
ton were Dravely rendering all the assls-
| lance 10 their power to their less fortunate
companions. Many were pinned beneath
huge timbers beyond all human aid. The
groans OF the half CONSCIOUS dying, the
scrt ans of those who We're burning, min
gied with the EOarSe shouts of the traln
men aud few farmers who had arrived
ON the scene, made horrd din in the
clear, frosted night. Very little could BE-
dune to aid the II jured and absolutely
nothing toward quenchiug the flames
/ The ice on the river was three feet thick
aud no water could be procured.
! SCENE FROM TIE "INFERNo."
The slckennlng odor of burnlug human
| flesh soon arose frpm the seethiHg mass,
/ tyrdom of being burned alive grew fainter
and fainter. TIE Injured who had been
extracted from the ruins we're soon con-
veyed 10 the nelghburlng farmhouse OF
Thomas PlDgree or slowed away i'll the
baggage Cars, and when the relief train
arrived from this point the wreck had
been entirely consumed. At least forty
persons were killed outright or burned to
| death.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE ACCIDENT.
ME-. Henry w. Tewksbury, Ut West
Randolph, VT, the lecturer, states THAT
lie was in The drst day coach. He Was
duZlng at the Time OF the accident, but
Was aroused by feeling the Car Jumping
Wo RAILROAD acclo ents before this one, and
knew what the SENSATION pOrtended. Real
lZlug thai AL accident was about TO occur,
ne jumped from his SEAT With the lnLen-
ton Ut making his escape. The Jraln
seemed ~ cume TO "a standsLlil or 60 veIy
slowly. He thought II Was all right, aBO
SAT down again. Then, without mo-
ment's warning that anything further was
90 occur, The Car seemed to leap into space,
and there Came a terrible CRASH. For a
moment he Was stunned. He tried u
| move, but found he could not bulge all
lLcn. He noticed with great al rm tna
! hle had broken cut at the furLher end vi
The car. He struggled with all his stIengt i,
" free himself and screamed for help, but
| tLele as 10 une al hand to help him. L.
| I,rr,al ftfrn I'll t,.,f 1
could lot help noticing an old couple VINO
| were ID few seats above him. They Sought
to get cut. but they we've hopelessly held
0uWD by heavy seats. Tie flames ap-
Preached The couple with frlghtful laplu-
Ivy, aid tie aged pair set tined to feel that
tLeIe Was 10 hope iOI them. The last be
saw Ut them they we've locked lii EACH
vJn, + = arms and 10 the act of ki,siu, .
Inc smoke and Il mes now envelope then ,
hiding them. tlom view.
Mr.. Tewksbury then gave him self up for
lost. He seized his fur Cape and wound it
around his face so as to cover his eyes ana
hide the dreadful view of approa ching
death. At this time the railroad bi ldp.
above him was one mass OF fire, and heav,
burning timbers were falling all about him,
Hav,ng leaned back resignedly 10 NEE,
what seemed his fearful fate, his hopes o,
life were renewed 10y hearing voices Hr
uuWound his fur Cape and saw the enYl-
neer and fieman close at hand. He Called
to them tranticaly tor assistance, which
they pr feied aJ once. SEEING bold Oh
him, bis rescuers sought to pull him ou,.
but failed. Thinking that his Was hope
less case, they were about to leave him aud
help others, but he begged them tc try